Joshua Forrest Russell

human

I was recently given this beautiful vintage scrap book as a gift. Every page inside was empty except for the last. It had a ripped image, a diagram of a playground with kids playing on a structure. I found it haunting, nearly sad so I decided to add to the page, an attempt to try and fill in what was missing. This page had so much character and it inspired me to keep the concept going throughout the rest of the book. So now I’m making a complete work out of it. I’ll fill in each page by taking old images and cutouts I find and finishing/editing what’s missing. I will post more and more as time passes.

I had to pack light on my journey home for the holidays. I find it easier to get things done when there isn’t much choice around to distract my focus. I brought with me a single moleskin which I had been doodling in throughout the semester and have decided to rework the pen doodles I’ve scribbled down throughout the pages. This way I have a plan to stick to, no matter the quality of the work. In the end I want to find a way to make something out of each one, even if the page was used up by just a word.

Not every thought or word we think of will make it to the top of our minds and seep into the world around us. There’s so many obstacles within us that create stops along the way that give us time to second guess ourselves. Once we do, we swallow our imagination making it difficult to recollect the ideas we’ve since lost. If only there was a way to make this journey easier and more direct. A way to express without an off ramp.

Another fun one I had done before my first class of the year. Inspired from another user on SKTCHY. It’s great practice finding that specific detail of someones photograph which you can then focus on or accentuate, in this case I loved this persons rounded glasses and chose to start the sketch from there.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve uploaded anything so I thought I’d post a quick piece from my sketchbook this week. Summers coming to an end and I have a lot of work to edit/upload and share in the coming weeks. I made this for an app I recently discovered called SKTCHY which I highly recommend to anyone searching for fresh references to use while sketching. The app lets users upload ‘inspiration’ photos (typically portraits/selfies) which other people can then use for reference. Once finished you’re able to upload your finished product and share it with the community but more importantly with the person who you were initially inspired by. The work is then displayed next to the original photo for comparison. It’s a fun way to get some practice in, but also a great way to get a nice sketch, painting or caricature of yourself done by other talented strangers. Seeing as though most people I draw never get to see or even know I’ve drawn them it’s satisfying when somebody most likely gets to look into the faintly familiar depiction of themselves I’ve reflected back to them.

-If anybody wants to get the app or has it already and wants to connect just look for:

Typically when I’m feeling blue, which seems to be most hours of the day, my go to cure is to drink something warm. It helps keep me alert and focused but also gives me a sense of comfort, like I’m hanging out with one of my best mates, the kind who can just hang about doing nothing but feels completely content in your company. My favorite of these being tea (mint) followed by a black coffee and then occasionally a mug of warmed up apple juice, not to be mistaken for a hot apple cider which has a bit too much sugar. Each one of these will instantly work their magic and put me right back into the swing of life. They’re my fuel for the day, unfitting seeing as though they have close to zero nutritional benefits but maybe that’s the real reason for me being blue.

Here’s a couple of other blue dudes getting their own daily fix:

The morning blues.

A cure: Large coffee, two sugar.

The afternoon blues.

A cure: Small tea, one sugar.

The midnight blues.

A cure: Medium hot chocolate. no sugar necessary.

(ink, marker, crayon, digital)

I posted this series on Instagram a few months ago so I’m happy I finally got it up on here. If you haven’t already, you can also follow me there @illustratedconnection where I post a bit more frequently. Thanks for the read!

Earlier this year I decided to start making most of my illustrations/art projects into multiple part series in the hopes that it would help demonstrate my ideas more clearly. This practice has also challenged me to keep my style consistent while working on specific bodies of work. This gave me a sense of focus whilst creating. I’ve always been a huge fan of comic books and graphic novels and hope to start making larger and denser works soon, but at the same time I love pushing an idea big or small through a minimal amount of frames or a single piece of art. Hopefully with this new page I can merge those two things together and bring multiple forms of story telling to the table.

Here’s a fun little series I posted not too long ago which involves a bit of fruit and a whole lot of cheese:

Fruit and Cheese

Order Platter: 1/3

Apple of Your Eye.

“If only I was the apple of your eye, that would be so sweet!!”

Order: Platter 2/3

The Perfect Pear.

“I just wished we could’ve been the perfect pear one day, but things got rotten fast!”